Urinary System

Other names for this system:

• Urinary tract• GU-genitourinary system• Excretory system

– genitourinary and urogenital: 2 systems in close proximity and with shared structures

– tract: a continual pathway– excretory: describes the purpose of the system (to

excrete urine)

KIDNEYS

• Reddish-brown in color, shaped like a kidney bean.

• Located under the lower rib cage

KIDNEY

• Hilum-area of indentation, medial side

• Renal artery- enters and renal vein exits

• Adrenal glands-not part of this system.

Kidney

• Renal cortex layer-surrounds the kidney

• Renal medulla-underneath renal cortex-triangular shaped renal pyramids are located

• Renal pyramids-connected to minor calix-drains urine which drain into- major calix

Kidney

• Major calix- drains into the renal pelvis

• Renal pelvis- drains into the ureter

Ureter/Bladder

• Bladder- pelvic cavity, held in place by ligaments

• Rounded top is called the fundus

• Bladder is lined with-mucosa-when empty it folds into rugae.

• Bladder neck- sphincter

Male Urinary system

Ureter/Bladder

Urethra

• External Urethral Sphincter: muscular ring in the urethra, it can be consciously controlled

• Penis: structure that is part of the male reproductive system

• Prostate gland: glad that is part of the male reproductive system

• Urethra: tube that carries urine from the bladder to the outside of the body

• Urethral Meatus: the opening to the outside of the body that is at the end of the urethra

Female Urinary Tract

Caroline, Priscilla, Alanna, Brittany

How it Flows

• Urine goes through the kidneys and is filtered • Flows through the ureters which are about a

foot long to the bladder• The bladder has a sphincter that holds urine in• Urine finally travels through the urethra which

is one to two inches long.

• During pregnancy the bladder is often compressed by the expanding uterus.

o Urinary System: includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. It produces and excretes urine.o Cortex: area of tissue beneath the capsule of the

kidneyo Flank: back area “between the ribs and hip bone”

that overlies the kidneyso Medulla: area of tissue beneath the cortex of the

kidneyo Glomerulus: network of intertwining capillaries

within the glomerular capsule in the nephron. Filtration takes place here

o Parenchyma: functional area of the kidney that is made up of cortex and medulla and contains nephrons

o Collecting duct: common passage way that collects fluid from many nephrons. Reabsorption takes place there

o Distal convoluted tubule: tubule of nephrons that begins at a nephron loop and that ends at a collecting duct. Reabsorption takes place here too

o Glomerular capsule: ball shaped structure that surrounds the glomerulus and collects filtrate.

Nephron Loop• Nephron function unit of kidney and

site of urine protection• Glomerulus network of intertwining

capillaries• Glomerulus capsule filtrates urine and

goes to the tubule• Proximal convoluted tubule

reabsorption occurs (water and nutritional substances return to blood)

• Nephron loop more water and electrolytes are reabsorbed

• Distal convoluted Tubule more water, electrolytes, amino acid are absorbed

• Collecting Duct urine is collected

Nephron

• Nephron: microscopic functional unit of the kidney

• Nephron loop: U-shaped, reabsorption takes place here

• Proximal Convoluted tubule: reabsorption takes place here, begins at the glomerular capsule and ends at the nephron loop

Ureter

• Peristalsis: process of smooth muscle contractions that propel urine through the ureter

• Ureter: tube that carries urine from the pelvis of the kidney to the bladder

• Ureteral Orifice: opening at the end of the ureter as it enters the bladder

Bladder

• Bladder: expandable reservoir for storing urine

• Fundus: dome-shaped top of the bladder • Mucosa: mucous membrane lining that is

inside the bladder• Rugae: folds in the mucosa of the bladder that

disappear as the bladder fills with urine • Sphincter: muscular ring around a tube

Vocabulary

o Urinary System: includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. It produces and excretes urine.o Cortex: area of tissue beneath the capsule of the

kidneyo Flank: back area “between the ribs and hip bone”

that overlies the kidneyso Medulla: area of tissue beneath the cortex of the

kidneyo Glomerulus: network of intertwining capillaries

within the glomerular capsule in the nephron. Filtration takes place here

o Parenchyma: functional area of the kidney that is made up of cortex and medulla and contains nephrons

o Collecting duct: common passage way that collects fluid from many nephrons. Reabsorption takes place there

o Distal convoluted tubule: tubule of nephrons that begins at a nephron loop and that ends at a collecting duct. Reabsorption takes place here too

o Glomerular capsule: ball shaped structure that surrounds the glomerulus and collects filtrate.

o Urinary System: includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. It produces and excretes urine.o Cortex: area of tissue beneath the capsule of the

kidneyo Flank: back area “between the ribs and hip bone”

that overlies the kidneyso Medulla: area of tissue beneath the cortex of the

kidneyo Glomerulus: network of intertwining capillaries

within the glomerular capsule in the nephron. Filtration takes place here

o Parenchyma: functional area of the kidney that is made up of cortex and medulla and contains nephrons

o Collecting duct: common passage way that collects fluid from many nephrons. Reabsorption takes place there

o Distal convoluted tubule: tubule of nephrons that begins at a nephron loop and that ends at a collecting duct. Reabsorption takes place here too

o Glomerular capsule: ball shaped structure that surrounds the glomerulus and collects filtrate.

- Creatinine: waste product from muscle contractions- Electrolytes: substances that have a positive or negative

charge & conduct electricity when dissolved in a solution

- Erythropoitin: hormone secreted when blood cells in the blood decreases

- Filtration: process in which water, some nutritional substances, and waste in the blood are pushed through the pores

- Reabsorption: process by which water and nutritional substances in the filtrate move out of the tubule and return to blood in capillary

- Renin: enzyme secreted by the kidney when the blood pressure decreases

- Urea: waste product from protein metabolism- removed from the blood by kidneys

- Uric acid: waste product from purine metabolism- removed from body by the kidneys

- Urination: the process of peeing- also known as voiding, micturition, or passing water

- Urine: water, waste products, and other substances excreted by the kidneys

Diseases and Conditions of the Urine and Urination

By Katie B. and Kinga F.

• Albuminuria– Presence of albumin in the

urine– Also called proteniuria

(albumin is the major protein in the blood)

– Occurs when there is kidney disease and the large protein molecules pass through damaged pores into the urine

• Anuria – Absence of urine

production by the kidneys

– Caused by acute or chronic renal failure

• Bacteriuria– Presence of bacteria in

the urine– Indicates a UTI– Normally, urine is sterile

• Dysuria– Difficult or painful

urination– Due to many factors– Ex: Kidney stone,

cystitis

• Enuresis– Involuntary release of urine– Nocturnal enuresis is

involuntary urination at night.

• Frequency– Urinating small amounts

often– Can be caused by kidney

stones, enlargement of prostate gland or and infection

• Glycosuria – Glucose in the urine– Indication of an

elevated blood pressure

• Hematuria– Blood in the urine– Can be obvious or only

detected through laboratory tests.

– Can be the caused by a kidney stones, cystitis, bladder cancer, and others

Diseases

• Renal failure- When the kidneys decrease their urine production and stop producing urine.

• Uremia-excessive amounts of waste product urea in the blood because of renal failure.

• Bladder cancer- Cancerous tumor on the lining of the bladder

• Cystitis- inflammation or infection of the bladder.

Diseases• Urinary retention- The inability to empty the

bladder because of damage due to certain drugs.• Epispadias- Condition in which either both sexes

urethral meatus is an abnormal location near the clitoris or the glands of a penis.

• Urethritis- Inflammation or infection of the urethra.

• Hernia- Weakness in the muscle of the diaphragm.• Over active bladder- involuntary contractions that

cause urinary urgencies.

Lab Procedures

Summer, Meg, and Paige

Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN)

• Measures the amount of urea• Monitors kidney function/kidney disease • Watch for signs of nephrotoxicity• In patients taking aminoglycoside antibiotic

drugs

Culture and Sensitivity (C&S)

• Identifying the cause of urinary tract infection by putting urine in a Petri dish

• The disease causing microorganisms are tested

Leukocyte Esterase

• This detects esterase• The test gives quick results so that treatment

can be started quicker

Urinalysis

• Detects substances in urine and describes characteristics in it

• The simplest way is a dip stick test• Different colors mean different characteristics.

Colors

• Light yellow to amber means normal urine• Pink or smoky colored urine means bleeding in

the urinary tract• Turbid (cloudy or milky) means white blood

cells and urinary tract infection

Odor

• Faint odor means normal• People with diabetes have a fruity smelling

urine because of the glucose in it

pH

• Normal urine is slightly alkaline or basic• Bacteria grows quickly and some types of

kidney stones form more readily in alkaline

Protein

• Not normally found in urine• Presence indicated damage to the glomerulus

Glucose

• When found in urine, it can indicate uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, from excess glucose spilling into the urine from the blood

Red Blood Cells

• Microscopic examination to count red blood cells

• Even clear urine can contain occult (hidden) blood

Catheterization

• A catheter is a flexible tube, inserted through the urethra and into the bladder to assist in the draining in urine

Dialysis

• Removes waste products from the blood for a patient with renal care

• Hemodialysis uses a shunt in the patients arm• Peritoneal dialysis uses a permanent catheter

inserted through the abdominal wall

By: Danny, Mike, Aine, John, Maggie

Diseases continued

• Hesitancy: Inability to initiate a normal stream of urine. Less volume.

• Hypokalemia: Decreased potassium in the blood.• Incontinence: Inability to keep urine in the bladder.• Ketonuria: Ketone bodies in urine. Ketones are

waste products when fat is metabolized.• Nocturia: Urination during the night.• Oliguria: Decreased urine do to kidney failure.

Diseases Continued

• Polyuria: Excessive production of urine.• Pyuria: White blood cells in urine (UTI).• Urgency: Strong urge to urinate. • Urinary Tract Infection: Any infection in the

urinary tract due to bacteria.